Test machine

For this review we are testing the LG BH08LS20 mounted inside of our Intel based system with the following components:

• Processor:  Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3.2GHz
• Memory:  4GB, OCZ Reaper DDR2 1066
• Video: SAPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 256-bit GDDR3
• Sound:  Realtek 8111B 8 Channels Audio, onboard
• Hard Disks: 1X WD Raptor WD150GB, 1X WD 750 GB

• Optical Drives:  LG BH08LS20, BenQ DW1655, Lite-On DH203AH, Optiarc AD-7200A, Lite-On DH203AP, LG GH22LP20, ASUS DRW-20B1LT, and the Samsung SH-S223F.

Software:

 Windows Vista Business SP1 64bit installed on our test system; we will also be using the following software for this review:

• Nero Burning Rom 8
• Nero CD-DVD Speed
• Nero InfoTool
• DVDFab Platinum
• ImgBurn
• DVD Identifier
• CyberLink BD Advisor
• CyberLink PowerDVD

Book type (Bitsetting):

The LG BH08LS20 supports bitsetting, but at default it will write DVD+R, and DVD+R DL media with DVD+R, and DVD+R DL book type, respectively. The drive does not remember your Book Typesetting so you will need to change it every time. 

With Nero CD-DVD Speed, we can see that the “Book Type" column in the Drive Settings area that all disc types are currently bitset to DVD+R, and DVD+R DL. When a disc is inserted in the drive, the Disc Settings area will show the Book Type.

We can also check if our discs are really written with DVD-ROM Book Type by clicking on the Disc Info tab. This should look something similar to the following screen shot:

A Little More About Blu-ray:

Until recently, optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM relied on a red laser to read and write data. The new technology Blu-ray format uses a blue-violet laser, which explains the name Blu-ray.

Blu-ray drives can also be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit.

A blue-violet laser (405nm) has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm); this makes it possible to focus the laser with even greater accuracy. This will allow data to be packed more tightly, so it’s possible to squeeze more data on the disc even though it’s the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 enables Blu-ray discs to hold 25GB/50GB.

Blu-ray media is structurally different from DVD media. The Blu-ray disc consists of a single 1.1 mm thick polycarbonate substrate with a 0.1 mm thick cover layer on the bottom side of the disc, while the DVD disc is made of two 0.6 mm thick substrates. In both cases, two substrates are bonded together by a UV-cured resin adhesive:

DVD vs. Blu-ray disc structure

The larger 25 GB and 50 GB storage capacity of the Blu-ray disc is due to the higher density of pits and tracks on the disc. Unlike previous optical discs, Blu-ray uses a shorter-wavelength, tighter-focused violet laser to read and write pits that are about three times smaller than pits used in DVDs:

CD, DVD and Blu-ray laser beam color and size

CD, DVD and Blu-ray pits and tracks as seen by a scanning electron microscope

Blu-ray disc surface mapped by an atomic force microscope

Installation and Supported Features:

The installation was flawless; we hooked the drive up using a standard SATA cable

Here is the Nero InfoTool output for the drive and its supported features:

CD-DVD Speed reports the burst rate of 42 MB/s: